Naruto: Binding Uchiha Sasuke, Hundredfold Return

"I... I don't know..."

Naruto tried to imagine himself in the situation, but he found it impossible to know what he would have done. He couldn't deny that he'd definitely feel anger. But what he would do with that anger, he didn't know.

"Kazuki, do you know who my parents are?" Naruto suddenly asked.

Kazuki said nothing, but his silence was answer enough.

"Please tell me, who were my parents? Where did they go? Why did they abandon me? Why...?"

Kazuki still didn't speak, but his silence conveyed the answer to Naruto.

"They... they were killed, weren't they?"

"...Yes." Kazuki took a sip of tea, wetting his throat before finally answering Naruto's question. But it wasn't an answer Naruto could easily accept.

Watching Naruto sink into sadness and silence, Jiraiya couldn't help but speak up. "Naruto..."

"Pervy Sage, do you know who my parents were?" Naruto interrupted, looking straight at Jiraiya.

The truth was clear in Jiraiya's hesitant gaze.

"Can you tell me their real identities? Even if they were terrible people, I don't care! No matter what, they're still my parents!"

Naruto shouted, his eyes glistening with tears. All his life, he'd been disliked by the villagers, his body sealed with a demon, and he'd convinced himself that his parents must have been awful criminals for him to be treated this way.

But the truth?

It was nothing like he imagined.

"Naruto... your parents weren't criminals. On the contrary, they were respected by everyone... Your father was the Fourth Hokage."

Jiraiya finally told him the truth: Naruto's mother was Kushina Uzumaki, a Jinchūriki who sacrificed herself for the village, and his father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.

Hearing everything, Naruto's face was already covered in tears.

"Naruto..."

"I'm fine, Pervy Sage. I'm not sad—I'm happy! All this time, I thought my parents were horrible people because everyone hated me, but... but they were actually amazing people, weren't they?"

Naruto smiled, though his smile was sad.

Maybe even he couldn't understand why, despite his parents' sacrifices for the village, he, their son, was hated.

"Pervy Sage, do you know who killed my parents?"

"I don't know. I've been investigating over the years, but I only know he was a man with a Sharingan who wore a mask," Jiraiya said, shaking his head.

"A Sharingan?"

Naruto suddenly turned to Kazuki.

Kazuki waved his hand dismissively. "Don't look at me—it wasn't me!"

"I know. My parents were killed long before you were born," Naruto said with a forced smile. "But Kazuki, since that person has the Sharingan, you might know who he is, right?"

Kazuki nodded, exchanging a glance with Jiraiya before responding, "His name is Uchiha Obito. He was once part of the village, one of the Fourth Hokage's own team members."

"My father's teammate?"

"The Fourth Hokage's teammate?" Jiraiya and Naruto both looked shocked.

No one could have guessed that the man responsible for such atrocities once had a close connection with Naruto's father.

"Yes, Uchiha Obito was once on a team with Kakashi Hatake and Rin Nohara, but he was thought to have died on a mission. However, he was actually saved and turned into a pawn by someone else."

"So why did he kill my parents? My father was his mentor, wasn't he?"

In the village, a mentor is like a teacher. Obito was not only Minato's subordinate but also his student.

"His mind was twisted. He intended to return to the village, but the person who saved him didn't want him to. This person orchestrated a situation that led to the death of the girl he loved most."

"So he was manipulated?"

"Most likely. But by the time he killed your parents, the person manipulating him was already dead. What he did after that was entirely his choice."

Naruto tried to understand Obito's mindset but found it impossible.

"No, no, no! My father didn't kill his loved one, so why would he kill my father?" Naruto shook his head in frustration.

Kazuki didn't fully understand Obito's motives either, but he did know that Obito's actions were fueled by something very dark.

"Obito came to hate this world, so he declared it all his enemy—even his old friends and mentors."

Seeing Jiraiya and Naruto's incredulous looks, Kazuki added, "Yes, he was a complete monster."

"..."

The conversation fell into silence. After a long pause, Naruto asked, "Where is he now?"

"Dead."

"...What?"

"I killed him."

"...What?!"

Seeing their disbelief, Kazuki sighed, took another sip of tea, and explained, "A little over a year ago, a group attacked the village. He was among them. I dealt with him."

Dealt with him... just like that?

Naruto and Jiraiya couldn't help but flinch at Kazuki's casual tone. This was the man who'd killed the Fourth Hokage!

Naruto's emotions were all over the place. He'd just learned his father was a great man, and he felt proud. He'd discovered his parents' killer and felt anger. And now, upon learning that killer was already dead, he felt a strange emptiness.

Who am I?

What am I supposed to do now?

"Sorry, I think I need some time alone," Naruto said, standing up to leave.

Jiraiya didn't try to stop him. He knew Naruto needed time to come to terms with himself, not someone to guide him right now.

Kazuki glanced at Jiraiya, who had chosen to stay behind, and then called out to Karin.

"Karin, bring more tea."

Jiraiya took a sip of the cooled tea, looking at Kazuki thoughtfully. "How did you know all that?"

Kazuki shrugged, his tone indifferent. "When you want to know something, you find a way."

Jiraiya paused for a moment before asking, "Is it all true? Are you sure your information is accurate?"

"Believe it or don't. I have no reason to lie to you." Kazuki's tone was calm.

Jiraiya nodded. There was no reason for Kazuki to deceive them.

With those things clarified, Jiraiya moved on to another question, his purpose in visiting.

"What's your relationship with Orochimaru?"

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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg